How our Gestures Impact Us as Well as our Audience
Have you ever become weirdly aware of your arms or hands when you speak? Or been distracted by a speaker’s gestures? There’s a lot of information out there about body language and how much it matters to how we’re heard or received. What’s less common is understanding how our gestures impact ourselves. For example, gestures […]
Where can you see possibility today?
Happy 2025! I hope it’s a great one for you. How are you doing? The new starts – or restarts – often seems to bring inner tension: am I doing/being enough? What’s important? What am I missing? (I know some of what I’m regularly missing is the outer world when I’m locked onto my computer […]
A Year in Review: Celebrating Growth and Gratitude
As I canter – definitely a fast trot – towards the end of 2024 with public programs and in-house workshops finished but still going with 1:1 clients, I’m looking back on the year. And feeling as much enthusiasm and love as I did at the start! Sounds clichéd perhaps but it’s true. Travel included Canberra, […]
For More Influence, Try Grounded Cognition
Imagine you’re in a meeting, pitching an idea, or presenting a new strategy. You’ve prepared well, and the content feels solid. But the moment you start speaking, you see their attention slipping away. You wonder, What’s missing? Here’s a thought: it might not be what you’re saying, but how you’re saying it. Let me explain. […]
3 Communication Lessons to Learn from Trump
At the risk of adding to the noise about Donald Trump’s communication style, I think now is the perfect time for me to highlight three things I believe he did very well during rallies. Things we can all learn from. And while I’m not going to mention the politics to avoid distracting from my message, […]
Confident Speaker? 2 Pitfalls that Disconnect Audiences
I ran a lunchtime session for the Law Institute of Victoria recently, and one of the topics mentioned was if you’re a confident speaker, pitfalls that disconnect audiences. If this is you, you might recognise 1 of the 2 issues I mention specifically! There are 2 common issues I see time and time again. And […]
To Avoid a Bored Audience, a Science-backed Tip on Timing
Boredom is universal. So to avoid a bored audience, here’s a science-backed tip on how to time some contrast. Even if you don’t believe in being bored (I count myself among those people), do you agree there are still moments when a situation is just…so…dull that it causes you to long for the exit? This […]
“Your truth” or “Universal truth”?
Video link below. Last week, I watched a media interview outside a court in Hobart, where I heard this bald statement: “The verdict demonstrates a simple truth. Women are better than men.” The speaker was Kirsha Kaechele, the creator of the Ladies Lounge at MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) in Hobart. The issue […]
Communication that Sticks: Simple, Succinct, and Spacious Communication
Communication that Sticks with your Audience Simple, succinct and spacious communication – easy to remember, sometimes hard to do! I’ve been working in-house with a lot of organisations recently. And a topic that comes up over and over again is this: our ideas are only as good as our audience’s ability to consume and digest […]
Consistency is the enemy of engagement
When we don’t use enough variety as we speak, it’s almost inevitable that people stop listening and tune out. And consistency is the enemy of engagement! ‘Sameness’ will not get attention, and it won’t keep attention. Let alone bring it back once it’s been lost. And unless you’re super-aware of your own speaking style, it’s […]